The Other Princess
by November Lynneus Oradot
Summary: When Zeus seduces Persephone through trickery, she becomes pregnant from the encounter. But the child produced from their union isn't exactly a normal little girl... Rated M for sexual situations and bloody violence. TRCC-verse Hercules fic.
1. Round we go the world is spinning

**_This _Persephone and Macaria are MINE. Anyone who uses them without my permission gets squished by Sisyphuses' rock.**

**Everything/everyone else belongs to Disney. Use 'em at your own risk.**

**_The Other Princess_**

Chapter I-- Persephone is Tricked

Hades had said that he would be on Olympus the whole day—emergency meeting of the Council of the Gods—and that he was be home late at night. Persephone had sighed, they had grumbled about the idiocy of Zeus (and the rest of the gods), she had kissed him goodbye, he had kissed her back, and then he had left. Hades had only been fifteen minutes out the door when she and Macaria had been forced to rush over to the judging area to resolve a minor quarrel between Minos and Rhadamanthys.

A few hours after the fight had been resolved and business elsewhere had been taken care off, Macaria went off to 'bed' (more likely, off to frolic with Hypnos and Thanatos and Nyx and the Furies). Persephone had paced around Hades' throne room, absentmindedly brushing away stray cobwebs, placing scattered chessboard pieces back on the chessboard, blowing away dust, kicking away bones. She had gone into the throne room at around 7, 7:30 p.m, maybe, and had left at about 9. Macaria was wherever, Hades was still on Olympus; Persephone was bored. And so she walked along the bank of the River Styx. She stopped walking every now and then to say hello to Charon and his load, which was full every time he came around.

Eventually, Persephone dismissed him and shut down the ferrying service for the night. The remaining souls would just have to wait. Persephone continued to pace along the bank until she spotted the familiar blue glow of Hades' hair.

There was something different about him. The way he was walking. His physique seemed a little…off. Despite the distance, his face and hair seemed just a bit odd too. Or…or was it _because _of the distance? Persephone chose the second option and approached him with a sympathetic smile.

"You look pissed," she said, hooking her arms around his neck, "The meeting was _that_ bad?"

Hades shrugged sullenly, and Persephone grinned and kissed him.

Again, she got that weird feeling that something was different. But…but it was almost 1:00 in the morning, very late (or early); Seph was tired, and he was bound to be tired, too.

That was it. That had to be it.

_It's not like it's someone else,_ Persephone scoffed internally, _I mean, who in their right mind would pose as Hades? And at _this_ hour?_

Hades kissed her back, his hands sliding around her slender waist and within minutes, clothes were thrown in a pile and the two were pressed in the mud, intwined together.

Their rather…hasty moment took only half an hour. Hell, not even. Afterwards, Persephone lay back in her husbands arms.

She was genuinely disturbed and worried.

He hadn't been like himself. He hadn't _acted_ like himself!

Hades was always rough with her, but this time…this time, he had seemed….rough_er_. Like he wanted to hurt her, or like he didn't care if she got hurt or not. Hades would never…he hated seeing her in any sort of pain and tried to avoid it whenever he could.

This time…

And his body, his face, they both _did_ seem different, feel different. And his hair…

Something in her told her to speak, and she obeyed. "H…Hades?" Persephone whispered in a shaky, questioning, nervous voice.

And Zeus laughed, pulled off his mask, grinned, and said, "Nope."

Persephone was shocked to the point of speechlessness as Zeus vanished.

* * *

~Author's Note~ I know, I haven't finished LMAF yet, but, hey, I'm bursting with ideas for this story that I _had _to start it now. It might not be updated for a while, though. Anyway....enjoy! Remember to review me. ^^

Rated M for language and murder and sexual situations and blah blah blah...

Also, the category thing? It's really Drama/Horror/Comedy. Weird combo, but...anyway, they won't let me make three categories....

EDIT 1/18/10: Since I've gotten two reviews mentioning this, I want to point out that even though the Persephone in TRCC, LMFAF, this fic, and the rest of the fics featuring her is the same colors as the Persephone shown in Disney's Hercules, **_THEY ARE NOT THE SAME PERSON!!_** I have my own design for her, and in no way are they related to one another other then them having the same name. I refuse to acknowledge her, because in my opinion, her design is too...fluffy to fit Disney Hades. Capisce? Good. ^^ :) I luffles you all anyway. ^^


	2. When it stops, it's just beginning

**__**

This

Persephone, Macaria, and Melinoe are MINE. Anyone who uses them without my permission gets squished by Sisyphuses' rock.

**Everything/everyone else belongs to Disney. Use 'em at your own risk.**

**_The Other Princess_**

Chapter II-- Hades Finds Out; The Baby is Born; A Prophecy is Told

Her mistake was that she decided not to tell Hades.

He'd probably overreact, start more chaos between him and Zeus, unnecessary fighting although it really hadn't been her fault, et cetera, et cetera…she'd just keep it under wraps and let Zeus triumph silently about his little moment of pleasure.

It wasn't like she _wasn't_ angry at him, she was _furious_, but she could handle it without Hades knowing. Pfft. He had rubbed off on her more then he could ever imagine.

A tiny voice in the back of her head told her that it would surface in the past, but she ignored it. When Hades came home finally from Olympus, she was dressed and not muddy anymore, and he suspected nothing and they, both exhausted, went and fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

"Well, that didn't work out as planned," mused Atropos, a hand rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

Lachesis and Clotho sighed simultaneously…they had intended for her to tell him on her own, as would have been the _right_ thing to do…but instead…

"He needs to know," said Clotho, "It'll only resurface way in the future…and then Persephone'll get blamed, you know, he'll be furious that she didn't tell her when it happened."

"He's still going to be furious," said Lachesis, "She could have told him then, but she didn't."

"Little wretch," said Atropos, grinning, "I say we…punish her for this."

The two turned to look at her, grins of their own forming on each of their faces. "Punish how, exactly?" said Lachesis.

"You'll see," Atropos grinned again and went to twist around some threads.

* * *

Hades was already up and away when she woke up. A wave of nausea had been the thing that had woken her up; Persephone darted to the bathroom almost instinctively…

Persephone groaned, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and gagging dryly. And then she froze in place.

"No," Persephone whispered, sitting up slowly. After a moment had passed, she laughed shortly, nervously, and returned to the bed, still giggling in a strained way. "No. No. Can't be. Not possible. No. No. It's just….just…."

_Food poisoning?_ said the voice in her head smugly, _Uh-oh. Sephy's in troooouble…_

For her own sake, her own sanity, Persephone tried her best to ignore it.

* * *

The next day, and the next day, and the next and the next, it was the same routine. Hades had left early, Persephone was feeling nauseous and…and…

Alone in her room, after her stomach had emptied, Persephone collapsed on her bed and screamed.

_Screamed. _

It was an ear-splitting wail that put the prisoners in Tartarus to shame.

In fact, for almost a full second, the rest of the Underworld was eerily quiet, like it was recovering from the Queen's first agonizing, distressed wail. Once noise started up again, Persephone buried her glowing pink face in a black pillow and screamed again. And screamed. And screamed. And screamed…

A sudden knock from the door made Persephone gasp and fling the pillow away from her almost guiltily; she sat up in record speed, and then sat back, leaning on her hands as her stomach churned.

Macaria tilted her head at Persephone, an eyebrow raised.

"What'd you do?" the teenage goddess' voice was accusing. Macaria placed her hands on her hips and gave her mother a 'what-the-hell-is-your-problem' look.

"I didn't…" Persephone stopped speaking abruptly. Her voice was hoarser then she'd meant it to come out. Awkwardly, she cleared her throat and looked at Macaria with wide violet eyes.

Who exactly was the mother and who was the daughter here? Sometimes it was hard to tell…

"I didn't…" Persephone started again, her eyes still frantically wide, "I didn't do anyth—I…um…" She stood up slowly from the bed, one hand still on her stomach in a vain attempt to keep the nausea under control. Teetering on her feet, Persephone stared at her daughter in a helpless sort of way. Macaria only stared back, more confused then anything.

"What'd you do?" Maci repeated the question, with a more skeptical air to it. Persephone bit her lip, then rushed upon Macaria, taking glowing pink hands in glowing pink hands, squeezing them tightly…

"You can't tell anyone about this," Persephone hissed, and as Macaria started to protest, the elder goddess yanked the younger further inside the room, slamming the door shut with her sandal-clad foot.

"What. Did. You. Do?" said Macaria through gritted fangs, pulling away from her mother and glaring at her with equally as wide eyes. A beat passed and then Maci had exploded in orange flame, frighteningly similar to Hades' manner of showing off his temper. "I asked you a question," she snapped, "Answer me already." She saw that Persephone was now trembling, and Macaria extinguished quickly, feeling guilty. "…please?" she offered, and it seemed to work.

Persephone narrowed her eyes at Macaria. "You won't say anything," she ordered, and upon receiving a confirmation nod from Maci, Persephone collapsed back on the bed. Silence ensued. Then Persephone spoke, her voice wavering.

"I think I'm pregnant again," she squeaked out. Next to her on the bed, her hand clutched at the covers underneath her.

Macaria stared. Persephone wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, and she was about to continue when Macaria spoke.

"So I'm getting a sibling?" she asked her flatly, sitting next to her, "That's your big news?" She sighed, and then brought a hand up to her face to fake a yawn. "Anti-climactic, no?"

Persephone was silent, and perfectly still. "No siblings," she whispered.

Macaria frowned. She was confused, Persephone saw, and the elder goddess had to pause again before continuing in the same whisper:

"Only half-siblings."

Macaria stared at her for almost a full 10 seconds.

And then she let out a scream and vanished into smoke. Persephone's mouth opened in alarm and she stood up hesitantly, but before she could go to leave, Macaria had reappeared in the room.

With Hades besides her.

Persephone's voice caught in her throat. She fell back on the bed, wide-eyed.

Hades looked confused and Persephone realized that Macaria hadn't told him anything in his haste, just brought him here expecting Persephone to confess it all.

All? What exactly was all? Macaria probably thought that there had been some affair going on throughout the marriage with some other god; some juicy teenage gossip. Far from the truth, of course… but if you wanted to get technical…

Her head was spinning miserably. She _had_ slept with someone else. Zeus hadn't forced her into anything, and it had been consensual… she hadn't known it was Zeus, but still. It'd been voluntary. Persephone had slept with another man. Didn't that _technically_ count as cheating?

And they couldn't even just forget about it and move on with their lives as if nothing had ever happened because now Zeus' fucking baby was growing inside her, and the child would forever be a little reminder of what had happened, forever and ever and ever. She was participating in the building of the Zeus dynasty and it was an awful, awful feeling. An abortion was out of the question because the child was immortal…

"Hades," said Persephone sadly, her voice breaking, "Oh, gods, Hades…"

The god of the dead blinked. He looked from Macaria to Persephone then back again, and then did it again. "Uh, anyone wanna tell me what's going on here?" He blinked again. "I'm sensing tension and I seem to be outta the loop here, in the dark... someone kindly shed a little light, thanks."

Persephone bit her lip. But before she could even open her mouth, Macaria had beat her to it.

"She's cheating on you," the teenager blurted, "She's been cheating on you with Zeus knows who—" (_Oh, yes, Zeus definitely knows,_ thought Persephone bitterly) "—and doing all sorts of naughty sexual things with this lover and I know this because this guy happens to have knocked her up—" Persephone groaned, audible in the quick space where Macaria had paused for breath, "—and now you're gonna be stuck with some stupid little step-kid and I'm getting saddled with some stupid little half-sibling and mom, I'm telling you right now, there's no way in Tartarus I'm babysitting." Rant over, Macaria shook a finger at her mother to punctuate her point and poofed off.

Awkward silence. Hades stared at the spot where his daughter had just been, and Persephone covered her face with her hands. Hades finally turned to his wife, an eyebrow raised.

"Teenagers," Hades snorted, "What an eccentric child…"

Persephone slowly raised her face from her hands. _He didn't believe her…_

"Seriously, where the hell'd she get that from? She on crack or something?" Hades rolled his eyes, and lifted a hand in a wave, then started to leave, "Crazy kids."

"Uh, Hades…"

He stopped, folding his arms in front of his chest, but he didn't look angry or annoyed. "Yeah?"

"She… she wasn't…" Persephone bit her lip. How could she possible _tell_ him this?! "Maci was, uh… she was sort of telling the truth…"

Hades' eyes widened. He stared at her, and it wasn't her imagination acting up when she saw the tip of his hair flash orange.

"Hades, wait, before you go nova," Persephone held up her hands. "She wasn't telling the whole truth. I didn't tell her everything, she just filled in the blanks on her own." Her eyes were pleading. "Just listen to me, I promise I won't make anything up."

He continued to stare at her and she saw a flicker of disbelief in his eyes, then a flicker of anger, then another flicker of hurt. Persephone motioned for him to come over to her and Hades did so. He sat farther from her then she would have liked. Persephone sighed, reaching and grabbing a black pillow for comfort.

"Look, I'm not cheating on you. I was never cheating on you. I'd never do that, you know that." Persephone reached over and took his hand. He had considerably relaxed at her words, but she found herself starting to tremble as she anticipated saying the next part.

"Uh… h-however, I do happen to be…" Persephone was biting her lip so hard that she was positive that she would start ichoring. "Um… I _do_ h-happen to be…" _I can't do this. _But the Fates were egging her on...

"Hades, I'm pregnant." Her voice was barely a whisper. "I'm… I'm pregnant, and… and it's not yours."

For a moment, they just stared at each other. Persephone looked away, at her hands, a magenta blush creeping on her cheeks, tears pooling in her eyes. Hades just looked at her in hurt, confused, disbelief, his mouth opening as if to say something and then closing quickly once more.

Then finally he spoke, darkly and bitterly, "So you went out and frolicked with some other guy, who's, y'know, not me, and managed to get yourself knocked up…"

"Hades, no!" Persephone stared in disbelief, shaking her head, "That's not—"

"Knocked up by _some other guy_ and according to you, that doesn't count as cheating, izzat right?"

"That never—"

"Well, evidently, your definition of cheating," Hades said flatly, glaring and slowly turning orange, "is a lot different then mine." He stood from the bed, Persephone frantically shaking her head and trying to form words.

"Wow, I never thought I'd see the day where Macaria was right about something," Hades snarled and raised his hand to poof. Persephone shot from the bed and grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back.

"Hades, no. That's not… that's not what happened, would you _listen_ to me? That's not what happened at all, let me explain, please…"

Hades slowly sat back down, and allowed her to take his hand again. Persephone's hand shook in his.

* * *

His usually quick-witted mind found no words to say, no sarcasm to spit, no jokes to crack. What was there to say? What _could _he say? She had been with another man behind his back, had _slept_ with him — a side of her only he was allowed to see. And now this mystery man's baby was inside her and even if it _was_ all just a misunderstanding, that child would be stuck with them… Maybe the father would take the child? But it was a blind hope and Hades knew this. Men in Greece nowadays tended to believe that it was a woman's job to take care of a child.

Her hand was trembling, enclosed in his and automatically he squeezed it, staring dully at the floor. Cheater or not, she was still his wife, and he still loved her; and now she was scared or nervous or whatever she was and it was his job as her husband to protect her, soothe her…

Hades pushed the bubbling anger within aside and tried to think clearly and rationally. She claimed not to be cheating but yet she was pregnant by someone else, so how…

The answer hit him with a painful pang and he lifted his gaze and looked at her, yellow eyes meeting violet ones.

"Seph, did someone…" He nearly choked on the words. It was horrible to imagine, someone hurting her, touching her, making her scream and cry and…

"Did someone… I mean… like…" He whispered, wincing, feeling uneasy, "…rape?"

Her mouth opened, and then closed. She blinked, wheels turning in her head, behind her eyes. Then softly, slowly, "S-sort of… I mean…it was…" Now she winced, a look of pain in her face. Pain and something he placed as embarrassment…

"It was voluntary." Persephone's voice was barely a whisper. Hades sighed and looked away, but didn't let go of her hand, still glowing pink in dull grey.

"But I thought…s-see, I thought he was you," Persephone explained sheepishly and then she was crying, shaking so badly he was sure she'd hurt herself. "Really, I did… I thought… I was so _stupid_, I don't know how I could've but I did… I thought h-he was you up until the very end and then it wasn't… and n-n-now…" She cried out in an annoyed way, her face pressed against his chest, "Now I've got _this—_" She gestured angrily towards her stomach. Was it his imagination or was she already beginning to swell?

"I'm so sorry, I was so stupid…" She sobbed and collapsed against him. Hades released Persephone's hand and hugged her instead. At least she wasn't cheating on him, and he _did_ feel a little relieved that it hadn't been what Maci had said… and he believed Persephone… with those tears, there was no way she was lying…

And oh gods yes, he knew he was incredibly biased, and he knew that if she had really been lying, he would have suggested the same reasons to himself about why she had to be telling the truth.

"How could you have mistaken some other guy for me?" said Hades softly. "I mean… c'mon, look at me." He pointed at himself. "You can't _copy_ this." A trace of a smirk was on his lips.

Persephone didn't laugh… "He had everything," she said quietly, "Even the hair." She reached and passed a hand through the bright blue flames on his head, quickly withdrawing as her hand was singed. "It was all the same…." She leaned against him and cried.

"Ouch," Hades said softly, hugging her, "That's just…" He took a deep breath, relieved that she was still his and yet infuriated that anyone would dare do this to her… Yeah, the Titan-takeover had happened over two years ago, but, still, one would think that people would avoid angering a guy who had the guys to let the friggin' Titans go. And yet…

"Gods, Seph," he whispered and winced for her. He was holding her very tightly. A sick part of him hoped that he was hurting the stupid baby inside.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, muffled. He was quiet, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

"Seph, when did this happen?"

She sniffed and picked up her head, eyes fixed firmly on the floor. "A…almost a month ago."

His eyes widened. _Holy shit…_ "Seph, why didn't you _tell_ me about this?" he demanded. She shrunk back.

"I was afraid to, I thought… I thought you'd get upset, and I didn't want to… I didn't think it was too important…" She sighed shakily. "I thought it was over, I didn't know it was gonna pop up again, I never even imagined that this… that _this _would happen…" Persephone sighed again. "And I didn't want to create unnecessary fights."

Another thing dawned on him. "Uh, Persephone…" He raised an eyebrow slowly. "Who, ah…. Who exactly was this guy?"

She bit her lip. She looked away. And then she answered, shaky, "Zeus."

Hades stared at her; she was blushing. Then suddenly he stood up, flaring. "You're damn right there's gonna be unnecessary fights," Hades snarled and vanished in smoke before she could protest.

* * *

Thinking back, Hades couldn't recall a time in his life where he had felt so infuriated.

Of course, it was hard to think back properly when you were so angry you were seeing spots. There might've been an equally as infuriating time, way back when, but he couldn't remember.

It wasn't important now, anyway. Right now, the important thing was getting to that son of a bitch Zeus and wringing his neck until his eyeballs popped and eye-juice ran down his ridiculously stupid, sleazy face.

….no, first he would castrate him and make him watch as his tool was incinerated, _then_ strangle him and make his eyes explode. Yes. That was a good plan.

His plan was put on hold when Hera, not Zeus, answered the door to their cloud. Hades stopped seething for a moment, then resumed it. He narrowed his eyes, fixing Hera with a murderous glare.

_And you don't even know, you oblivious little slut,_ Hades' head snarled at the goddess of marriage/Queen of Olympus, _You don't even know that your husband raped my wife._

Persephone's voice, soft and sniffly, came into his head; "_It was voluntary_," she corrected. Hades ignored it and scowled at Hera.

"Hades," she acknowledged stiffly, "You're…here." She glanced around him, perhaps expecting to see some Titan posse standing, arms crossed, behind the god of the dead. "Can I help you?"

"Probably not," said Hades flatly, "I need to talk to Zeus."

She looked uncomfortable, like she expected him to run forwards and attempt to overthrow Olympus right then and there. "He's busy."

"It's important."

"Can it wait?"

"Obviously not," Hades snapped, flaring a little more. Hera took a step away from him. "Hera, I need to talk to him _RIGHT THIS SECOND._"

"But he's—"

"Really, do I look like I care if he's busy or not?" Hades glowered at her. She glared right back.

"Hera, I will push you right out of the way and storm right on past you and go hunt Zeus down myself if I have to. We can do this the hard way or the easy way, babe. You pick."

Hera rolled her eyes, choosing the one that wouldn't start trouble. "Zeus, dear?" she called out into the cloud and after a moment he appeared. Hades wasted no time, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him outside, shooing Hera away with one hand.

"Hera, babe, this is a private thing," he sneered and she retreated, leaving the two brothers alone. Zeus blinked and Hades just glared, orange and flaming mad. Zeus broke the silence.

"Hades! It's been much too long between visits, little brother," he said brightly, "You should come up here more often, get some sun, some fresh air…" His words sounded sincere but there was a sarcastic, cold glare in his blue eyes.

Zeus was jerked forwards by his chiton and his smile faded. "Save it," Hades snapped, "I'm here on business only."

"Is that so? What business might the Lord of the Dead have up on Olympus?"

Hades glared at the look on Zeus' face. It was a look that plainly said, _'Silly Hades, get back in your hellhole where you belong.'_

"I wouldn't be up here if Persephone hadn't been cruelly violated by _one of you people,_" Hades snapped pointedly. Zeus blinked, and Hades raised an eyebrow.

"What, you don't know what I'm talking about?"

Zeus squinted, thinking in his head and then out loud. "No, I don't… wait… no, that's not… wait, yes… oh, wait… that time… at the Styx…oh, yeah, I remember."

He was smiling, looking proud of himself. He probably was, the damned bastard… Hades thought back to when he could have been able to do it and the answer came into his head with a little click. That pointless meeting on Olympus that he had been dragged to, that had stretched until early in the morning; Zeus had left in the middle of it to "solve a minor squabble between a few mortals" down in his temple and then had returned less then an hour later. Hades felt slightly sick at the thought. He'd _planned_ this.

"You know, you are really a sick bastard," snarled Hades, "I sure hope you're happy with yourself." Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

"I am, I am," said Zeus, still grinning. His grin slowly turned into a smirk. "She's good, Hades, I can see why you've kept her all these years."

Hades stared at him. There was a fireball forming in his hand and, gods, he wanted to roast his stupid face off. His temper rose even higher. The flames blossomed down and over his back, scarlet and orange.

"You are dis_gusting_," Hades said to him, teeth grit, "A disgusting, miserable excuse for a god."

"Says the guy who lives in the Underworld," Zeus retorted. They glared at each other.

"So, why are you here?" Zeus sounded incredibly bored. "Come to scold me about the dangers of sex and then leave to go whine in the Underworld?"

Hades seethed. "I wouldn't waste my time, s'not like you'd listen to me. " He rolled his eyes. Zeus shrugged and he continued, "For your information, you happen to have knocked her up, you son of a bitch."

Zeus looked surprised for a moment. And then he was smiling, "Congratulations, you get your very own child-of-Zeus to watch over."

* * *

Down in the Underworld, Persephone was watching the fight on Olympus from Tartarus Vision, curled up in Hades' skeletal chair with a scowl. She sighed, dejected. The two gods now very heated argument droned in her ears and eventually she covered her face with her hands and closed her eyes. _As if shutting my eyes will make it all go away,_ Persephone thought miserably. Her stomach was turning, and she was getting queasy again… Damn pregnancy. There was a reason they'd never tried for another kid.

Macaria was a handful anyway, even as a grown (teenage and stuck that way) goddess. She was currently seated on the floor, eyes glued to the screen as well.

"…boy, I was way off," mused Macaria as the details — the _real_ details — were filled in via T.V. screen. Persephone tried her best to ignore her, her face still buried in her hands.

"I was sorta kinda close, though," Maci added, "Got the pregnancy part right—"

"Because I _told_ you that." Persephone lifted her head and glared. "And then you went and told Hades even though I told you not to."

"…well, still, I got it right either way." Macaria rolled her eyes and shrugged one shoulder. Persephone sighed.

"Macaria, please be quiet. I'm really, _really_ not in the mood."

"So, what are we gonna do with the baby?" She pressed anyway, sounding serious for once. "I mean… we can't… we can't _keep_ it, right?" She wrinkled her nose, looking disgusted.

"We have to, I guess." Persephone slumped in her chair, and when Maci opened her mouth to protest, she continued, "Well, what else can we do with it?"

"Throw it off a mountain?" Macaria said dryly, "Lock it in Tartarus?"

"I'd love to, but Zeus'd kill me."

"Fuck him," Macaria said enthusiastically, a frown on her face, and then her eyes widened. "…uh, sorry, mom…" She winced.

_Great wording, Macaria._ Persephone buried her face back in her hands and muttered something inaudible under her breath.

"….so we're just gonna keep him or her around?" Macaria looked upset, "Ugh, I don't _want_ a sibling."

"Well, I don't want another child." Persephone bit her lip and looked back to the screen. The argument was still going on and she watched as Zeus and Hades shooed a curious Hera away from the scene. "Especially not Zeus' child."

"This _sucks_," Macaria said flatly. Persephone thought she had illustrated the situation quite perfectly.

The room was filled with the sound of Hades and Zeus on the screen. _Go ahead, zap me,_ Zeus was challenging, _Every god on Olympus will be on you like flies on honey._ Hades grit his teeth but the fireball in his hand died out. Persephone blew out a sigh and switched off the T.V.

"…so…" Macaria was trying her best to look casual when Persephone looked over at her. "So, uh, question."

"I'd really rather you didn't," Persephone said tiredly. Macaria ignored that and continued, "So, uh, now you've been with both Zeus and Hades…"

"I have not 'been' with Zeus."

"Hey, you fucked him, that counts." Persephone scowled and Maci went on.

"So, like, just out of curiosity… which one was, like, better?" Macaria blinked innocent and smiled just as innocently. Persephone stared at her.

"I'm not answering that," said Persephone stiffly after a few moments of awkward silence. Macaria rolled her eyes.

"I won't _tell_ anyone, I'm just curious," she pressed. "Just like you wouldn't tell anyone about me being pregnant, right?" said Persephone sarcastically. Macaria winced a little and then brightened back up, "C'mon, mom, I'm just—"

"Go away." Persephone scowled and Macaria — grudgingly snapped her fingers and left.

* * *

Nine months later, Persephone went into labor.

Not only had the pregnancy been physically painful but Persephone had practically been going crazy from the mental stress and hormones. She had been the most relieved when she had started having contractions… for about 10 seconds. Then she had re-stressed and the whole painful labor process had begun.

Only a select few of Underworldians knew about Persephone's pregnancy by someone other then Zeus. Only a few knew that she had been pregnant in the first place. Up on Olympus, the only one who knew besides Zeus was Demeter, who had actually been thrilled to have Seph giving birth to a child by someone who wasn't Hades.

Hades at first had opted to hang back and sulk, but with Persephone getting steadily more and more upset and panicky, he had changed his mind — but only for her sake, of course. Macaria had similarly chosen to hang back but had decided last minute to tag along, just to see what her half-sibling was going to look like.

Nyx and Erebus had helped Persephone (having been informed of the situation), until Demeter had come (and then they had left). Then Zeus had come to watch and greet his new child; he was settled against the wall, grinning at the assorted divinities.

But when the baby had come out, his smile had faded. In fact, everyone was currently gawking.

The infant goddess was a girl, crying like any other baby who had just been born, but that wasn't what was making all the gods and goddesses present stare.

Yes, gods tended to _not_ be limited to "normal" skin pigments that mortals were trapped in. But _this_ goddess was something new, something that had never been seen before. She was split down the middle color-wise. The left side of her face and body was ivory white, and the right side was ebony black. The small bit of hair she had on her head was also divided; left side black, right side white.

Macaria spoke first, a wide-eyed, "Holy Hera, that's creepy," and then fell silent. Demeter grimaced, also disgusted. Persephone's scowl, in place throughout the whole birth, remained set.

Hades and Zeus exchanged glances.

"And you said _I _had warped genes," Hades muttered to Demeter, jerking a thumb towards Zeus. Demeter said nothing, only stared at the baby, who was still crying.

"So what are we gonna do with her?" Persephone said disgustedly. Hades glanced at Zeus, "Take her, brother dearest."

"Me?" Zeus exclaimed, wide-eyed, "I'm not taking care of this thing. Besides, what'll Hera think?"

"When have you _ever_ cared about what Hera thought?" Hades pointed out dryly.

"So take the kid and pretend it's not yours," Persephone offered, holding up and examining the black and white baby as if she were some sort of object instead of a living, breathing godling. "It's not like you look like her at all." If anything, the baby girl looked like Persephone, just with a different hair and skin color.

"She'll never know," Persephone concluded and held out the crying infant for Zeus to take. The baby's father stared at said baby as if it was something nasty. But at that moment, the godling squirmed and opened her eyes. They were crystal blue, like her father's.

"….or not," muttered Persephone as the godling started to wail again. Reluctantly, Persephone took her back into her arms, trying her hardest to ignore the maternal instincts that were kicking in.

"My _gods,_ what is with you and giving birth to demon children?" Demeter exclaimed ("Hey!" cried Macaria from across the room), her hand pressed dramatically to her forehead, "It must be possessed, with spirits of the Underworld. This hellhole infects all of its inhabitants!" She looked wild, waving her finger at the others. "That's why it's skin is so strange—"

"Makes sense, her father's a demon after all," sneered Persephone, glaring at Zeus. Zeus rolled his eyes and Persephone continued, "Look. I don't want her. I don't want her in my kingdom, my palace, my Underworld. I don't want to take care of a child I don't want and don't love." Perhaps sensing her mother's cruel words, the baby cried louder. Hades grit his fangs and both he and Macaria covered their ears.

"_Take_ her. You're the father. You're the one who wanted the sex. You're the one who gets stuck with the baby, now _take her._"

"No-one wants that thing on Olympus," snapped Demeter.

"Hide her in the Underworld," Zeus suggested, "No-one'll even know she exists and it'll be fine."

"But I don't want her here with me!" Persephone cried.

"Lock her in a closet?" Macaria offered, shrugging.

"Not _my_ daughter," Zeus said fiercely and Persephone laughed bitterly.

"What, you actually think we'll treat her _well_ down here?" Persephone scowled darkly, "I'm not going to treat a rape baby like she was wanted. Especially not _yours_."

"Well, I don't want her," Zeus sniffed.

"I don't want her either!" shrieked Persephone.

The baby whimpered and then went to sleep against Persephone, despite the yelling. Persephone glared at her and noticed that her aura was also split down the middle. Half of it was a pure white and the other was a dark black.

"Persephone, just keep her down here," Demeter said, "Hide her here and no-one will ever know."

"No-one will know that you slept with me," Zeus added, trying to coax her into it.

"Thank the gods," Hades muttered.

"And no-one will know that you have another child," Demeter continued and smiled as convincingly as she could.

The Underworldian half of the people gathered weren't convinced.

"We don't want her," Hades repeated firmly, "No kid of yours should be living in my kingdom."

"I'm telling you, lock her in a closet," repeated Macaria.

"Well, no demon child like _that_ should be allowed in _my_ kingdom," Zeus chucked a thumb towards his new daughter, "Besides, Hera would have a fit." He raised an eyebrow. "You really want her coming and inflicting her wrath on Persephone, Hades?"

Hades blinked and took a step closer to Persephone, who also looked uneasy. They hadn't thought of that.

"Exactly," Zeus said, sticking his nose in the air, "You see my point, then."

"I guess," mumbled Persephone.

"Good!" said Zeus brightly, "In that case, have a nice day." He stepped closer and wiggled a finger at his daughter, "And you; have a nice life." He vanished promptly, and Hades and Persephone strongly suspected that the baby would never get to meet her father again…

"Well, I don't want to stay here any longer then necessary," Demeter said haughtily. She looked around, decided staying wasn't necessary any more, and disappeared too.

Persephone, Hades, and Macaria stood awkwardly in silence.

"So we have to keep this thing?" Macaria scowled and flared up. Hades looked equally as annoyed.

"Brilliant," Hades muttered. Persephone closed her eyes and scowled too.

At that moment, the Fates appeared in the room.

Macaria backed up against the wall and extinguished. Hades looked surprised and Persephone sat up quickly and opened her eyes.

The three weird sisters stood, smiling eerily. Atropos reached and plucked the eye from Lachesis, still grinning, and she spoke with her ancient, crusty voice.

"We have a prophecy for you…" croaked Atropos.

Persephone and Hades exchanged glances.

"Can it wait? This isn't a good time…" said Persephone slowly. Of course they paid her no heed and continued, speaking in careful verse and taking turns. The entire prophecy was unveiled:

"White is the heavens,  
Black below Earth.  
There's no middle for her;  
Good or bad is the birth.  
The decision is yours,  
Be it better or worse.  
Either let the light shine,  
Or she'll be a curse."

Instead of vanishing with a cackle like usual, the three lingered behind.

"Treat the new princess fairly or hell will be released on the world," Lachesis added, smiling. She looked positively wicked; all three of them did. Hades rolled his eyes, Macaria just blinked, and Persephone scowled darkly.

"As far as I'm concerned," said Persephone, her voice bitter, "both the world and this damned baby can rot in Tartarus."

The three Fates exchanged glances. They smiled at each other, some untold secret hovering in the air between them. Then they spoke again;

"The decision is yours," said Atropos, "And judging from where this is heading…"

"Don't you _know_ already?" muttered Macaria under her breath.

They continued. "Might we suggest a name?" Clotho went on.

"_Melinoe_," said Lachesis, then all three translated the ancient Greek name in unison:

"'Dark mind.'"

And then they were gone.

* * *

~Author's Notes~ I finally updated! :D Wooooo.

Unfortunately, the next chapter will not be coming for a while. Again. It may or may not feature some spoilers for Little Miss Flames and Flowers, and I haven't gotten up to those parts yet. So until I get further into Little Miss Flames and Flowers, this won't be updated... but stay tuned! This won't be forgotten! As soon as spoilers are revealed in LMFAF, I'll get right back up to this story and updates will be regular. :D

Also, be sure to pop in on my profile and vote on my poll!

Remember to review me! :) Seeya 'til next time.


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